The Irascible Professor
SMIrreverent Commentary
on the State of Education in America Today

by Dr. Mark H. Shapiro

"A
neurotic is a man who builds a castle in the air. A psychotic is
the man who lives in it. A psychiatrist is the man who collects the
rent."...
...Jerome Lawrence.

Commentary of the Day -
April 11, 2008: Neglected Disabilities. Guest commentary by
Felice Prager.

It was about four PM. I was home alone. I was sitting on
the bed that used to belong to my son before he married and
moved to another state. Three of my five cats were looking
out the window, and I was watching them as they stalked a
bougainvillea leaf as it was being moved by a breeze.

I am easily entertained. Some have referred to me as a
cheap date.

I had opened the window so the cats could smell “spring.” They
like how "spring" smells. Then the bougainvillea leaf
started moving in the breeze and the entertainment began.
The cats were darting back and forth in front of the window as
the thin red leaf caught bursts of air. I was tempted to
go outside, retrieve the leaf, and bring it inside for them to
tear to shreds, but I knew my cats were having more fun watching
and chasing the leaf, and giving them the leaf would simply end
the game too soon.

Suddenly, the cats stopped short and assumed the position of
fear and distress. Their hair stuck up. Their ears
were alert. Then they scooted under the bed.

I then heard the source of their fear and distress as well.
Clackity clackity clackity clackity. (That is my best
attempt at onomatopoeia.) A young boy was coming down the
hill on his skateboard. Each time the wheels hit a
sidewalk seam, the board went clackity clackity clackity
clackity.

What made the occurrence significant was the fact that the boy
on the board was simultaneously talking on his cell phone while
navigating the hill. I know the kid because I used to
tutor him. He had been labeled ADD, and his mom had come
to me for help. He was a very nice kid and well behaved,
but he tended to prefer watching bougainvillea leaves float in
the breeze rather than watching his math teacher create math
magic on the white board.

It made me think. Since I am unable to drive my car and
talk on my cell phone at the same time, I found it interesting
that my ex-student with a documented disability could balance on
a skateboard going downhill fast -- occasionally jumping a curb
-; while simultaneously talking on his phone. Yet, despite
all the hours of quality one-on-one tutoring he had, he probably
is still counting on his fingers and toes. I also
know in my heart that he will go through life unable to deal
with fractions, despite my best efforts.

We all have things we can't do. I could never climb the ropes in
PE class. No matter how I tried, I couldn't get my arms
and legs to work together well enough to conquer the task.
There was no disability I could find to get me out of rope
climbing in PE, and the best I could do was feign a sprained
ankle -- complete with a doctor's note. I was stumped by
calculus but the best I could do was major in English because I
couldn't claim a calculus disability. Though I could
memorize the Gettysburg Address in third grade, memorizing the
correct lyrics to songs has always been a burden. Yet,
there is no disability that keeps me from being embarrassed at
karaoke bars.

I have a million of these undiagnosed but very real (to me)
disabilities. We all have them. The difference is
that we only hear about the ones written about in books.
Call them whatever you want -- disabilities, gaps, shorts.
We may all have them; some of us just deal with them better than
others, I suppose.

I am now reveal a handful of my undiagnosed disabilities just to
prove my point. The important thing to remember is that I,
Felice Prager, am a survivor. Despite my shortcomings, I
am choosing to see success despite my deficiencies. You
probably are, too. You just don't know it yet.

CLWEAS – aka Can't Leave Well Enough Alone Syndrome.
Those who have CLWEAS don't know when to stop. They
tend to pick the scab until it is infected. They tend
to want to get to the root of something even if it means the
need for a plumber or electrician in the end. They nag
their kids to the point of insanity. They say things
like, "Do you want more?" and fill a dish despite a negative
response. They call too often and when the calls
aren't answered, they write letters and send gifts.
When they help their sons move into an apartment, they buy
enough tea and chicken soup mix to last several decades just
in case of flu of epidemic proportions. Tea bags and
chicken soup have indefinite shelf lives. When it
comes to education, a person with CLWEAS will check answers
obsessively and possibly not hand in the exam fearing there
is an error that was missed. As a writer, proofreading
becomes an activity that never ends. Rewriting is
inevitable.

CPITWS – aka Can't Pee in the Woods Syndrome. Those
who have CPITWS avoid camping trips, exploring the
wilderness, and car trips on roads that post signs like
"Next Stop: 50 miles."

WDIPTDTS – aka Where Did I Put That Damn Thing Syndrome.
Also Known as WDIPTDTAS -- aka Where Did I Put That Damn
Thing Again Syndrome. This condition tends to eat up a
lot of time and is one of the most frustrating disabilities.
A person puts something down in a very logical place and
then it disappears. It happens with earring backs,
notes, lists, bills, credit cards, homework, documents of
major importance, $50 bills, and eyebrow tweezers.
People with WDIPTDTS and WDIPTDTAS are firm believers in
conspiracy theories and know that the physics theory that
matter cannot be created or destroyed blah blah blah is a
fallacy – and have dozens of backless earrings to prove it.

IJHTHAFFD – aka I Just Have to Have Another Furry Friend
Disorder. This condition is best detected in the home.
Just count the pets. If it goes beyond two or three,
IJHTHAFFD may be at the root.

(An aside: Yesterday, while planting a few cacti in my backyard,
I found a hole under our mesquite tree. From experience, I
knew the hole was either the home of a snake, a rodent, or a
rabbit. I thought: "Six foot rattler!" since we have had
those in the past, so I ran like the wind for the garden hose,
attached the power nozzle, and got close enough to spray into
the hole but not close enough to get eaten. I also had my
cell phone ready so I could call the snake police. The
snake police are number one on my speed dial. Then a baby
bunny popped out. It was two inches -- newborn, probably.
And it was sopping wet. I felt so bad. I ran to get
lettuce and carrots while the baby bunny dried off in the sun.
When I got back, another baby bunny had joined it. I named
them Jack and Jennifer. I scattered the lettuce and
carrots and kept saying things like, "I’m so sorry! Now go
back in your hole so your mommy can find you." I took a
picture with my cell phone and sent it to my son -- the one who
used to take scorpions and centipedes outside instead of killing
them because "they are beneficial, mom." He wrote back and
said, "Since you almost killed them, you should keep them."
I didn’t respond since I like furry faces but I know jackrabbits
don't make good pets -- we've done bunnies before and the only
thing I remember is that they create a lot of poop and then they
eat it. I went outside this morning to inspect the bunny
hole, and it seems that Jennifer and Jack Rabbit have two other
siblings: Jillian and Bob. All is well. They like
lettuce but prefer what falls off the mesquite tree.
ANYWAY, I looked up Sonoran Desert bunnies online and it said
that 80% of them are dead within a year -- their life expectancy
being two years -- because they get eaten by almost everything.
Sometimes, people who think bunnies are snakes tend to drown
them. End of aside.)

TTMS – aka Talk To Machines Syndrome. Those who have TTMS
tend to see inanimate objects as audiences. They think what
they say to machines will change things. They tend to
personify. They are often not aware that they are doing this
and have been known to say things like, "Come on, finish
perking!" to coffee machines and "Please don't freeze!" to
computers. Some suffering from TTMS have said that the
inanimate objects have menacing personalities and tend to be
vindictive.

DCFBD – aka Diet Coke for Breakfast Disability. This is
sometimes referred to as "Do as I say, not what I drink."
People with DCFBD know it is not healthy. They don't care. They are even known to finish off the warm, flat can of Diet
Coke that was left on their desk the night before.

SATDS – aka Share All The Details Syndrome. People who have SATDS tend to tell a story, include all the details, and leave
nothing out -- even when they are not asked. The syndrome tends
to waste time, keep a person from staying on task, and alienates
friends and relatives.

OMGOMGOMGS – aka as Oh, My God! Oh, My God! Oh My God!
Syndrome. This occurs when a large insect or arachnid is in
the vicinity of the person afflicted. They get up on
furniture and scream, "Oh, My God! Oh, My God! Oh My God!"
until a brave person comes in and smashes the creature.
These people often suffer from SATDS, with a twist. When
they Share all the Details, the insects and arachnids get
larger with each telling of the tale. In the end, the insect
or arachnid takes on the appearance of the supernatural and
develop menacing personalities similar to those in TTMS.

IIDWIDIWFIS – aka If I Don’t Write It Down, I Will Forget It
Syndrome. These people have very good memories. The problem
is that they can't remember what they need to know when they
need it. They function well with lists but tend to also
suffer from WDIPTDTS -- so they cannot remember where they
put the list.

CRWTISFD – aka Can't Remember What The Initials Stood For
Disability. Those who have CRWTISFD can spout off initials
like ADD, ADHD, SCUBA, and MRSA, but cannot remember what
the initials represent. In fact, they often ask those using
the initials what they stand for, but they have known to
become indignant when others ask them to translate initials
into real words.

There are many other syndromes, deficiencies, and disabilities. Some are mild and some are severe. With all of them, it depends
on the degree to which a person has it and how well they learn
to cope. I am doing well with mine. I just take it a day at a
time. I inhale and exhale and always have my trusty hose by my
side along with my cell phone. But don’t ask me to use both of
them at the same time. I'm having a tough time with CDTTAONMHHITS -- aka Can't Do Two Things At Once No Matter How
Hard I Try Syndrome.